What can I use to mark a chick ?

[sunkistfarm]

I have 26 chicks. They are 3 days old. I will be keeping 13 of them and will be selling the rest in 2 weeks. My girls are already picking out theirs and naming them. I have them all in one container. How can I mark them so I don't give the wrong ones away? Can I put a dot on their leg or the bottom of their foot with a sharpie marker? Will that hurt them?Any other ideas? I hate to have to keep them in 2 containers...

 

[Jasmine1998]

A sharpie marker would work....just don't use red b/c they may mistake it for blood & peck at it. I used green & blue food dye & used a q-tip to put a dot on either their back or the top of the head.

 

[featherworks]

I was about to post the same question! I hope to have two sets of BLRW in the near future and want to be able to know who came from who until they are old enough to put bands on their legs.

 

[AinaWGSD]

I have two speckled sussex chicks. Because they are dark, I'm not sure that food coloring or marker would show up if I put a dot on their heads. But I really wanted to be able to tell them apart because I am tracking the growth of my chicks. My solution was to clip one feather on one wing of one of them (I clipped part of the third primary feather on the right wing). Clipping a single feather will not interfere with them learning how to fly or their balance. I'm not sure how long it will be until that feather is replaced, but hopefully by then I'll be able to tell them apart some other way.

 

[grouse]

I use crayola non-toxic markers and mark their leg/the feathers just above their leg. It's not a fool proof system as the marker comes off very easily and has to be re-applied almost daily, but I'm concerned about using zip ties and the local feed stores don't carry chick ID bracelets so it's my only real method of telling them apart.

 

[featherworks]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4605639#p4605639

This sounds like it will work well!

Phil

 

[ADozenGirlz]

I use Halloween temporary hair color spray. I spray some on a paper plate and then dip a Q-tip into it and paint the color on the heads of my chicks. Sometimes you need to re-apply when it begins to fade. Works great!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

You ever wonder.....Where's the Majic in a Majic Marker?